365 Data Centers and WOW! Business Partner to Launch the Tampa Internet Exchange

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/—365 Data Centers, one of the top U.S. colocation providers by market presence, and WOW! Business, today announced the launch of the Tampa Internet Exchange (TPAIX), the first carrier-neutral, open access peering exchange in Tampa serving the Central Florida region. TPAIX is comprised of shared network infrastructure for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), content providers, businesses, research and educational institutions to cost-effectively exchange Internet traffic. Participants in the exchange can connect to the TPAIX at both 365’s and WOW!’s colocation facilities in downtown Tampa to maximize access to peers and facilitate the open exchange of traffic.

The TPAIX will allow service providers and businesses to improve performance and lower costs by exchanging Internet traffic locally rather than having use expensive, long haul transport to reach Internet exchanges in the closest peering cities, Miami and Atlanta. Connecting to a local Internet exchange can be 70% less than using a long haul private line to distant cities.

TPAIX is a committee-run non-profit organization owned by WOW! that offers core IX fabric locations within the Tampa Bay Area. TPAIX’s exchanges are placed within carrier-neutral data centers to facilitate more carrier choice, service options and high-speed connections with competitive pricing that benefit both operators and consumers alike. 365 Data Centers has partnered with WOW! to place a TPAIX POP within 365’s colocation facility in Tampa.

“We are extremely proud to be a founding partner along with 365 Data Centers of TPAIX, to offer a nonprofit Internet Exchange for the Central Florida community. The partnership between WOW Business and the 365's location creates an ideal peering site for networks of all types," said Rick Nicholas, Director of Data Center Services at WOW! Business.

365 Data Centers recently launched a similar venture at its carrier-neutral facility in Nashville, Tenn., the NashIX, creating Nashville’s first IX and collaborated with SFMIX to expand reach to their first location in San Jose, Calif., in the heart of the Silicon Valley. All of these IX projects align well with 365’s commitment to create carrier-neutral and carrier-dense facilities in tier 2 markets to make the Internet an easier place to connect for carriers, cloud and content providers.

“Tampa has an excellent business growth climate with the greater Tampa and Orlando area populations combined reaching nearly six million people,” said Keao Caindec, Chief Commercial Officer, 365 Data Centers. “The Tampa Internet Exchange will make the Internet faster and more affordable, enabling small and large businesses in Tampa and Central Florida to benefit significantly.”

How the IX Works

TampaIX is physically located in 365’s downtown Tampa data center at 655 North Franklin Street, Suite 1000, as well as in a WOW! data center located within ParkTower, 400 North Tampa Street. Both IX locations are comprised of networking equipment that enables participants to exchange Internet traffic using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the common networking protocol for peering. TPAIX offers 24x7x365 Network Operations Center services and physical access with a support and billing portal available to view port traffic, invoices and tickets. Participants gain access to the platform via 1Gbps or 10Gbps connections. For more information on getting connected to the IX visit http://www.tpaix.net/.

Pricing

TPAIX cross connects are available now, and the first 1 Gigabit port is free (no install/optic fee). Additional 1G ports are $100 per month and a 10G port is $700 per month (both with no install/optic fee).

About 365 Data Centers

365 Data Centers connects carriers, content publishers, cloud providers and their customers, at the edge, in a media-rich world. Through its 16 U.S. data centers, 100% uptime SLA, and national network of carriers and content providers, 365 Data Centers offers colocation and cloud solutions that are tailored to meet the needs of its customers. For more information, visit 365datacenters.com.

About WOW! Business

WOW! Business provides IP‐based network, data, voice and cloud services for small‐ and midsized business, enterprise, government and wholesale customers. The company owns and operates more than 40,000 miles of local fiber‐optic and coaxial networks in the Southeast, Mid‐Atlantic and Midwest which, along with its data centers, provide customers with scalable, low‐latency access to national carrier backbones.

WOW! Business provides data, Internet, voice and cloud services to business and wholesale customers in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Maryland and the Southeast. The company is dedicated to delighting customers with friendly, quality service at affordable prices. WOW! is privately held and controlled by Avista Capital Partners.